Display-rack



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Apr. 20,1897.

W. J. .UNKENHOLZ DISPLAY RACK.

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M Em. E nm J W UEE (No Model.)

W J ZShGGtS-Sheet 2 DISPLAY RACK. l No. 581,049. Patented Apr. 20, 1891Y1 1 25"V 'ff "@5523 a //lllk d .l fj I HHH M- ,.1 a /0 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD J. UNKENHOLZ, OF LIVINGSTON MANOR, NEW YORK.

DISPLAY-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,049, dated April20, 1897.

Application tiled Tune 10, 1896.

To all whom t may concern/ Be it known that I, WILLARD J. UNKEN- HOLZ, acitizen of the United States, residing at Livingston Manor, in thecounty of Sullivan and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulDisplay-Rack, of which the fol# lowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in display-racks.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofdisplayracks and to provide one which will be capable of compactlyarranging a large amount of merchandise and of enabling the same to beconveniently handled.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a display-rackconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the openreceptacle or shelf. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of thelinks, showing a headed stud. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional Viewillustrating the manner of mounting the receptacles on the endlesschain.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all theiigures of the drawings.

1 and 2 designate upper and lower bearing brackets or hangers adapted tobe secured, respectively, to a ceiling and a floor or other suitablesupports and having journaled on them upper and lower stub-shafts 4 and5. The stub-shafts carry upper and lower sprocketwheels 6 and 7, onwhich are arranged parallel endless chains 8, composed of substantiallyrectangular links, which are provided at intervals at their inner edgeswith headed studs 9, adapted to support receptacles 10 and 11.

The receptacles 10 and 11, which may be open or closed, are provided atopposite sides with substantially invertedVshaped hangers or supports12, secured at the lower ends of their sides to the outer faces of theends of the receptacles and provided at their apeXes with invertedkeyhole-slots 13, detaohably reseriai No. 594,984. cio model.)

ceivin g the headed studs 9 of the links of the endless sprocket-chains,whereby the receptacles are journaled on the latter. The links areprevented from sagging and becoming accidentally disengaged from thereceptacles by transversely-arranged stays or guards 14, extendingacross the upper portions of the hangers or supports, arranged a shortdis'n tance below the keyhole-slots and angularly bent at their ends tooffset their central portions. Y p

The hangers are adapted to be readily depressed or moved inward when itis desired to remove a receptacle from the display-rack, and the guardsor stays 14 also prevent the hangers from springing outward too far.

The closed receptacles or bins 10, which are provided at their frontswith lids 15, are adapted to contain various kinds of merchandise, suchas spices, meal, iiour, and such material, and the open receptacles ortrays are adapted to contain various other kinds of goods, such ascanned goods and the like, but the display-rack, besides being adaptedfor grocery-stores, is also designed to be used in hardware-stores,dry-goods stores, and the like, and the open or closed receptacles maybe constructed to adapt them to receive the character of goods designedto be held and displayed.

The stub-shafts are journaled in suitable bearing-boxes, and one of theupper ones and both of the lower ones are provided at the outer ends ofthe journal-boxes with removable collars 16, which detachably secure thestub-shafts in the bearings. The other one of the upper stub shaftscarries a brakewheel 17, adapted to be engaged by a curved brake-shoe 18to lock the receptacles and endless chains against movement in event oftheir being unequally loaded.

The brake-shoe 18, which is hinged at its back to a suitable support, isheld in frictional engagement with the brake-wheel by a weight 19, whichis connected to the front end of the shoe by a rope 2O or other suitableconnection, and when the operator desires to obtain access to anyparticular receptacle the weight 19 is lifted to release the shoe, whichis swungvupward out of engagement with the IOO brake-wheel by meanshereinafter described to permit the operator to rotate the endlesschains freely to bring the desired receptacle within easy reach. Thehinged brake-shoe is lifted out of engagement with the brakewheel whenthe weight 19 is raised by a smaller weight 21, attached to one end of acord 22, which passes over a pulley 23, and which has its other endconnected to the shoe. The lower weight has sufficient heft tocounterbalance the weight 21 and to produce the necessary frictionalengagement with the brake-wheel.

The display-rack may be constructed of any suitable length and may, it'desired, extend through one or more stories of a building, and thehangers or bearing-brackets are adapted to be secured to any suitablesupport to adapt the display-rack to its particular location.

The headed studs form journals for the receptacles and are locateddirectly above the centers thereof, so that the center of gravity isbeneath them to maintain the receptacles always in a vertical position,and as the endless chains are rotated the journals turn in thebearing-slots 13 of the hangers or supports 12, the receptacles alwaysremain in a vertical position, as will be readily apparent.

It will be seen that the display-rack is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it is adapted to store compactly alarge quantity of merchandise, and that it will enable salesmen toobtain ready access to such goods without the use of a step-ladder.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrieing any ofthe advantages of this invention, such as are necessary to adapt thedisplay-rack to the particular store in which it is to be used, and toaccommodate the receptacles to the character of goods to be displayed.

1. In a display-rack, the combination of upper and lowersprocket-wheels, endless chains arranged thereon and provided at theirinner edges with journals, receptacles having vertical sides, theresilient V-shaped hangers mounted 011 the outer faces of the sides ofthe receptacles, provided with bearing-openings to receive the journalsand having their ends angularly bent and secured to the outer faces ofthe sides of the receptacles, said hangers being adapted to be depressedto disengage them from the journals, and the transverselydisposed guardsextendin g horizontally across the hangers and having their endsangularly bent and secured to the outer faces of the receptacles, thetransverse portion of the guards being interposed between the endlesschains and the hangers and preventing the latter from springing outwardtoo far, substantially as described.

2. In a display-rack, the combination of upper and lowersprocket-wheels, endless chains arranged thereon, receptacles locatedbetween the sprocket-chains and connected therewith, a brake-wheelconnected with one of the sprocket -wheels, a curved brake-shoe arrangedat the top of the bra-ke -wheel and hinged at one end, a weightconnected with the other end and adapted to lift the shoe out ofengagement with the brake-wheel, and a 'heavier weight connected withthe free end of the brake-shoe for holding the latter in engagement withthe brake-wheel, substantially as described.

3. In a display-rack, the combination of upper and lowerbearing-brackets, stub-shafts journaled on the bearing-brackets,sprocketwheels fixed to the stub-shafts, endless chains arranged on theinner ends of the stub-shafts, receptacles disposed at intervals andarranged between the sprocket-chains and journaled thereon, abrake-wheel connected with one of the stub-shaf ts, a curved brake-shoearranged to engage the brake-wheel and hinged at one end to a suitablesupport, a pulley located above the brake-shoe, a cord passing over thepulley and having one end attached to the free end of a brake-shoe, aweight connected to the other end of the cord and adapted to lift thebrake shoe from the brake wheel, and a weight 19 connected with the freeend of the brake-shoe and adapted to hold the same in engagement withthe brake-wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

TILLARD J. UNKENIIOLZ.

Vitnesses:

FRANK BARBER, FRED M. BUCKLES.

